Riding with Confidence
by Elizabeth22068
Summary: The Horseland horses and their owners experience life with the greatest horse celebrity's of all time, but when strange things start to occur all the "evidence" points to the new comers. Not long afterwards, jealousy breaks out between the two groups. Will the kids and horses befriend the celebrity's or will war break out between the two groups?
1. Start of another journey

It was a beautiful day at Horseland. The birds were chirping, the sun was shining, and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. A young boy was riding through a dirt road on a handsome palomino stallion. They rode on until they reached a giant red barn. He slowed his horse to a canter, until they reached the arena where six girls and one boy were jumping fences. He got off his horse and tied him to the fence. He sat atop the fence and watched as a girl with strawberry-blonde hair and green eyes jumped the fences with grace and elegance.

"Way to go sis," a red headed girl said.

"Ok riders lets take a brake, it's lunch time," the boy on the fence said.

"Finally," the red head and strawberry-blonde haired girls said.

An African-American girl suddenly stopped in front of the boy on the fence.

"Whats with the big smile Will?" She asked.

The rest of the group gathered in front of Will with curious expressions.

"Well I guess you could say I have some good news," Will mentioned to the crew.

"What is it, Cuz?" A boy with brown shoulder length haired asked.

"Please tell us Will," A blonde haired girl said.

"Ok ok calm down," Will said putting up his hands, "I'll tell ya'll at lunch."

Will then hopped off the fence and led his horse Jimber into the barn.

"I wonder what has made Will so happy," the blonde haired girl, Sarah, wondered.

"I bet it was my good looks..." The red headed girl, Zoey, answered.

"Or my amazing jumping," Her sister, Chloe, finished.

They both flipped their hair, making the group roll their eyes.

"Ok everyone," The boy, Bailey said, "The sooner we finishing brushing down our horse, the sooner Will will tell us the news."

Everyone agreed as they led their horses into the barn. They finally finished unsaddling their horses and walked into the house for lunch. As soon as everyone was sitting down and eating, Will entered with the same smile as before.

"So what was it you wanted to tell us, Will?" The African-American girl, Molly, asked.

"Please tell us, Will," A native-american girl, Noni, said.

"Ok hold your horses," Will said putting his hand up, "I just got word that we are having some special visitors coming tomorrow."

"Oh really, who?" A Mexican-American, Alma, asked.

"Do you guys remember those professional riders that came to that last competition?" Will asked.

"You mean those teenagers that jumped those really difficult jumps?" Molly asked excitedly.

"Of course, who wouldn't remember them," Noni answered.

"You could tell that the lead boy was obviously staring at me," Chloe said, flipping her hair.

"Oh give me a break sis," Zoey butt in, "He was just staring through you so he could look at me."

"Any way," Will said, "They have decided to come and stay here for a few months. They might even compete with us and win Horseland some trophies."

"That's awesome Will," Sarah said.

"Remember when that one guy jumped that Brush Fence?" Bailey asked.

"You mean the one with the really tall bush built in between the wooden fence? S _í,_ " Alma said excitedly.

"I heard that their best rider is a girl at around our age and she can jump a parallel oxer," Noni mentioned.

"Yep their pretty cool," Will agreed with the rest of the group, "Well ya'll better get cleaning, because remember they are coming tomorrow and I have a feeling you guys want to have a good first impression."

The group nodded and ate quickly. Chloe and Zoey were the first to walk out as they started talking about what they would say or what they would wear. The rest of the group walked out talking about what jumps they might do at Horseland.

* * *

 _~Later that night~_

The kids kissed their horses good-bye and rode home.

"Did you hear what I heard?"Chili asked excitedly to the rest of the horses.

"About the professional jumpers coming to Horseland?" Calypso asked, "Of course."

"I'm so excited to meet the new horses," Scarlet said, "I just hope they are nice."

Pepper snorted, "Oh come on Scarlet you can't be serious."

"What do you mean?" Scarlet asked confused.

"These horses are legends of their own time," Pepper said, "It's quite obvious they are going to have commands and rules."

"Yeah Scarlet," Chili butt in, "These horses and their owners are like crazy rich. It won't be a surprise if they would want to hang out with more civilized and rich horses."

"Are you trying to say that these horse will be like you, snobby and rich?" Button asked.

"Scarlet and Sarah are rich and they don't act like you two?" Sunburst said.

There was then a snort from Jimber's stall.

"And what are you laughing at?" Chili asked Jimber.

"I don't think any of you have to worry about these horses being mean and snobby. At least I know one that you don't have to worry about," Jimber said.

"Wait are you telling us that you know these horses?" Pepper asked.

Jimber shook his head, "I only know one of them."

"What? Who?" Calypso asked.

"She happens to be my twin sister," Jimber answered.

All the horses stood with gaping jaws.

"So you have been standing here this whole time," Pepper said with rage, "And you didn't bother telling us one of those horses was your sister?"

"Well I just told ya, didn't I?" Jimber asked.

Pepper looked as if her head was going to explode, but knowing she couldn't stay mad at Jimber she cooled down.

"Well we better get some rest," Aztec informed the others.

"Yeah we don't want to be half asleep when they get here," Scarlet agreed.

Everyone said their good nights and fell asleep instantly.


	2. Newbies

Horseland was as crazy as ever the next day. Everyone was running around, getting the arena set up, the stables swept, and the dirt raked. Even the people who worked in the kitchen were baking baked goods for the jumpers. Sarah, Alma, and Bailey were in the arena setting up the fences, while Noni and Molly were raking the dirt and putting away belongings. Chloe and Zoey were sweeping out the stables, surprisingly, and Will was putting fresh hay in the stalls. Soon everything was ready, or so they thought. Chili, as usual, grabbed a brush and tossed it on the ground.

"I guess the horses want to make a good first impression as well," Sarah said.

Everyone let out their horses, brushed, and hosed them down. Noni was drying Sunburst with a towel, Alma was brushing Button's mane, Sarah brushed Scarlet's tail, Bailey got the dirt out of Aztec's hooves, Molly was brushing Calypso's back, Chloe was hosing down Chili, and Zoey was braiding Pepper's mane. Everyone finally started to saddle their horses and walked them out towards the fences. They lined them along the fence and tied them up.

Will soon walked up to everyone and said, "Hey everyone I have some important news."

"What is it Will?"Sarah asked.

"Turns out the riders aren't going to be here for another two days. They had to stay back for an important live interview."

"Wait so we cleaned up all of Horseland for nothing?" Chloe and Zoey asked in disbelief.

"Now wait let me finish," Will said, "When they found out they wouldn't be here for another two days, they already sent their horses on the plane here. So someone is picking them up and bringing them here, until then we have to take care of their horses."

"Wait so we get to take care of THEIR horses?" Molly asked making sure she heard right.

"Yep," Will said.

"Oh my gosh this is so exciting!" Noni said with delight.

"Speaking of horses, they're here," Bailey said pointing over to the hill where a red truck was coming into view.

"Wow that trailer is bigger than a mountain," Alma said with surprise.

"Jeez how many horses did they have to fit in there?" Calypso asked.

A man exit the car and clicked a button to lower the trailer door.

"Well everyone lets unload," Will said.

The man walked out with the first horse and she was stunning. She was an all white mare with sky blue stripes in her mane and tail that made her look like an angel that fell from heaven. Her coat seemed to sparkle in the sunlight and her eyes were a soft light blue.

"Wow look at that beauty," Molly said with awe.

The man handed the horse to Will who led her to the rest of the horses and tied her to the fence. The next horse to appear was a black stallion with dark purple stripes in his mane and tail. He looked tough and muscular with dark brown eyes that seemed to stare into your soul.

"This one looks like royalty rides him," Bailey said making everyone laugh.

The next was a mare that looked exactly like Jimber. Except she had sweet light almond eyes and her mane didn't look ruffled like Jimber's. The man then brought out two horses this time and they looked like twins, except one had a wavy mane and the other didn't. The wavy maned one was a mare with a tan coat and a bleached blonde mane with white stripes. Her brother looked exactly like her except without the wavy mane. The sixth one was a paint colored horse. He was coated in brown and white coat with a brown mane. After him were two mares. One had a dark brown colored coat with pink stripes in her mane. Her mane and tail was also curled and a very dark brown. The other mare was as well a paint colored horse. She was had a yellow coat with tan spots mixed in. Her mane was white with orange braided stripes.

"Por Dios, how many more are there?" Alma asked.

Next to exit were two stallions. One had a gray coat with a white mane and turquoise stripes. The other stallion was a dark brown with a white star on his forehead. He also had white on his legs that looked like socks. His mane was light brown with dark brown stripes. Finally the man closed the door and drove away.

"Finally," Chloe said.

"Come on gang, lets go get those stalls ready for the newcomers,"Will said.

"Hi my name is Scarlet and welcome to Horseland."

"Hi my name is Crystal," The angel looking horse said.

"That's a beautiful name," Chili said, obviously staring at her beauty.

"Names Midnight," The black stallion said, interrupting Chili's stares.

"I'm Sahara..." The twin mare said.

"And I'm Butterscotch," The other twin spoke.

"Hi, my name is Century," The paint stallion said.

"I'm Phoenix," The paint mare said.

"Moondancer," The gray stallion said, but wasn't paying much attention.

" _Hello, my name is Paris_ ," The stallion with the star atop his forehead said in French.

All the horses just stared at him, until Century said, "Oh right his said "Hello, my name is Paris." He speaks very little English."

"Ohhhh that makes sense," Button said.

Everyone then looked at the curly maned horse hiding between Century and Phoenix.

"And what's your name?" Scarlet asked kindly.

The horse whispered something that no one could really hear.

"What was that?" Aztec asked.

She murmured something again.

"We can't hear you, can't you speak up?" Chili said.

"Her names Blossom," Phoenix said, "She's really shy."

"Yeah we noticed," Pepper said.

Finally the crew came back and started untying the horses.

"The stalls are ready for you all to sleep in," Sarah said, patting Crystal on her muzzle.

They took every horse to the stalls ad unsaddled them. They gave everyone fresh hay and water to eat and drink. After brushing all of them down and cleaning them up for five hours it was time to leave. They said good-bye to every single horse and left. All the new horses lay down and fell asleep instantly. The Horseland horses on the other hand were wide away until an hour later they went to sleep.


	3. And so it starts

The next day the Horseland kids took all the horses out into the grassy pen. They then went to go and change the hay in the stables. All the horses were grazing on the grass, until Chili decided to strike a conversation.

"So what is it like to be such big celebrity's?" He asked.

Midnight swallowed some grass and spoke, "Nothing is really that different. We do have to go to photo shoots or deal with swarms of people, but other than that it is just a lot of practicing."

"Oh," Was all Chili said.

"Tell us about when you won the International State Championship," Calypso said excitedly.

"Oh that?" Midnight said, "You don't want to hear about that. There wasn't much to it."

"Yeah I'm guessing your other trophies are ten times better," Pepper snorted.

Midnight just nodded his head, "No, actually that was just another competition. It was nothing compared to my first jumping competition where I broke my leg."

"Wow how did you do that?" Button asked.

"I jumped the parallel oxer wrong," Midnight said as he took another bite of grass.

"Chili jumped a parallel oxer once," Calypso said.

"Yeah but he hurt himself," Scarlet reminded them.

"Well when you get hurt once," Midnight said, "You always learn what you did wrong so you can do it correctly the next time."

The kids finally came out ad saddled their horses back up. They then saddled the new horses and tied them to the arena fence.

"Are we going to ride them?" Molly asked excitedly.

"Will said he asked for the jumper's permission and they said it was fine," Sarah stated.

"I'll ride the black one," Bailey called out as he untied Midnight and walked him into the arena.

Sarah mounted Crystal, because Chloe and Zoey wouldn't quit fighting over her. Alma mounted Paris, Noni mounted Phoenix, and Molly mounted Blossom. Chloe and Zoey decided to take the twins Sahara and Butterscotch. They walked them around the arena, getting a feel for the new ride.

"Wow for some reason I feel like a professional rider now," Bailey commented.

Chloe lined up Butterscotch with a really easy jump and commanded him to run forward. He sailed right over the fence with grace and elegance.

"Wow that was the most clean jump I've ever experienced," Chloe commented.

Chili soon started to turn red with anger.

"Oh let me try," Zoey said.

She hit the horse with her heal and Sahara moved forward towards a double jump. She jumped a perfect jump, making Zoey beam. The kids continued to jump the fences with the horses.

Chili soon started to complain, "What's so great about their jumping? I can jump just as good."

"Tell me about it," Pepper said.

"Guys give them a break. They are only jumping a few fences," Scarlet said.

"Yeah," Calypso said, "Shouldn't you be happy that Chloe and Zoey are having fun."

"They never smile like that when we jump a fence," Pepper pointed out.

"Yeah, they are only happy because they are big time celebrities and we are ordinary to them," Chili said.

"Just you wait," Pepper said, "They will act all nice at first, but then they will start to take over and act like they run the place, just because they are hotshot celebrity stars."

Scarlet sighed, part of her didn't want to admit it, but Pepper did have a point. What if they really did start to act like snobs? Snobbier than Chili or Pepper has ever been to them. She was going to keep a close eye on those horses.


	4. Final Arrivals

The horses seemed restless that evening, most likely because they would be able to see there owners very soon. The kids came in from their trail ride and started brushing down their horses.

"I can't wait to meet their owners, I wonder what they are like?" Sarah questioned as she took Scarlet's saddle off.

"I know right," Noni answered, "I really hope they could teach us how to jump some advanced jumps."

"Yeah like the parallel oxer," Bailey pointed out as he dropped a brush into a bucket.

"Don't you think that would be to advanced of a jump to start out with?" Alma asked.

"Oh don't tell you are scared, Alma?" Chloe said leaning back so she could see Alma.

"What and like you weren't scared when you tried to jump the parallel oxer?" Alma reminded Chloe.

"Oh Alma, I was young and irresponsible," Chloe said flipping her hair, "I can take on the parallel oxer anytime now."

"Careful now sis," Zoey warned, "You don't want the same thing to happen last time, do you?"

"Well I guess your right, but still, it would be fun to try and jump it correctly."

"But what if these people are snobs?" Molly pointed out making the rest of the group think.

"Well then I guess we would just have to deal with them," Zoey said, "After all, they are big time celebrities."

"Yeah, I mean I would be surprised if they didn't have a few rules," Chloe said.

Suddenly two big black limos parked themselves in front of the Horseland barn.

"Look they're here," Sarah said as she pointed to the limos.

They quickly put their horses in their stables and ran to greet the newcomers. The first to step out was a boy with brown hair and stunning chocolate eyes. He was quite muscular, with a good tan and his hair was swept to the side. After him was a young girl and she looked a lot like the boy. She had the same beautiful brown eyes and hair except her long hair was tied in a ponytail, but it still reached her chest. She had side swept bangs and the same kind of tan. Next, a boy with light bleached blond hair with brown highlights stepped out of the car. His hair was jelled to stick up, his eyes were a deep sky blue, and he was muscular, but with very light tan.

The twin looking boy and girl approached the Horseland crew.

"Hi my name is Bridget," The girl stuck out her hand, "And this is my brother, Brandon."

Brandon smiled with his pearly white teeth that made Chloe and Zoey squeal. They ran over to him, pushing Bridget out of the way and started to comment everything about his looks. Bridget roller her eyes, because she has seen it more times than she could count.

"At least their not screaming," The blonde boy whispered as he walked towards Bridget's side.

"True," She said.

Soon two boys were out of the car and a girl was following the same procedure right behind them. One boy had curly brown hair and a grin that made you want to check your pockets. He very skinny and lanky with a tan body and honey brown eyes. The boy next to him had light brown hair with the ends dyed red. His hair was jelled to stick up and he had his right ear pierced. He wore black aviator glasses and he wasn't super muscular, but he wasn't lanky. He also had a really dark tan, proving how long he was in the sun. The girl that stood behind the boys had dark navy blue locks that reached down to her mid back. She had a lean muscular structure that went very well with her beautiful tan body. She didn't wear her riding uniform like the rest, but instead she wore jean shorts with a loose shirt that showed her stomach. She also wore silver heals that went nicely with her lacy white top. The door behind them shut and the first limo drove off. The second limo drove off as well, seeing that the kids already exit the limo.

The first to approach from the second limo was another girl. She had brown hair with blond highlights that was cut to her shoulders. She had pale skin and beautiful green eyes. After her was a boy followed by two girls. The boy had ruffled black hair with "no libs" glasses. His eyes were a forest green and his body was skinny and pale. One of the girls was more of a tom boy. She had on baggy pants with a hoody and she had a tan body. Her eye were a mixture between gray, blue and green. She had choppy bangs moved to the side and her hair only reached her shoulders. The other girl next to her had curly brown hair that reached down to her chest. It had one pink highlight on the side and she had Iris colored eyes. Her skin was very dark from the sun and she wasn't super muscular, but not to skinny. They stood next to Bridget and Brandon in silence.

"Hello, my name is Sarah and welcome to Horseland."

Brandon finally spoke, "Well you already know my name, so let me introduce you to everyone else."

He pointed to the blonde boy and said, "This is Nathaniel, but you can just call him Nathan."

The girl with the blue hair interrupted and said, "My name is Michelle and this is my little sister Samantha," as she pointed to the tom boy.

"Sam," Samantha said through gritting teeth.

"Any way," Brandon spoke, "The curly haired boy is Christopher, but you can call him Chris. The boy next to him with the red highlights is Aiden and the girl with the blonde highlights is Danielle. Finally there is Trudy and Joseph," as he pointed to the boy with the glasses and the girl with the curly hair.

"Hello," Trudy said in a french accent.

"Are you from France?" Bailey wondered.

Trudy nodded yes and smiled. Will finally came into view with a girl around his age. She had long dirty blonde hair that was pulled back with a head band. She wore black "yo adrian" glasses and she was very lean with amber colored eyes. She approach all the kids and smiled at them with a sweet smile.

"Hey gang, meet Olivia," Will spoke.

Everyone said hi and Will spoke once more, "I can show ya'll to your rooms if you want."

"Could we say hi to our horses first?" Chris asked politely.

"Yeah sure," Will said, "Come on inside when ya'll are ready to see your rooms."

They nodded and headed into the barn. The horses seemed even more restless than before when they noticed their owners entering the barn. Brandon walked towards Midnight, Bridget walked to Crystal, Nathan to Phoenix, Chris to Century, Aiden to Moondancer, Michelle to Sahara, Danielle to Blossom, Sam to Butterscotch, Trudy to Paris, and Olivia to Jimena. The boy Joseph just sat at the barn entrance looking out at the road. Molly approached him making him jump.

"Don't you have a horse?" She asked.

"Oh...um...yeah," he said, "My horse had a doctors appointment so I was going to stay back at first for one more day, but then they had to change their flight. He should be here soon."

A white truck pulled up pulling a small white trailer behind it. Joe ran up to the trailer and opened it up. A gray horse stepped out with a black mane and dark purple stripes.

"Wow check out that horse," Molly said as she pet Joe's horse.

"Thanks, his names Rudi," Joe said as he started to lead his horse into the barn. Molly showed him an empty stall and Joe walked him in and started to unsaddle. Soon a blue bus pulled up to Horseland and Molly raced to it. She said her good byes and entered the bus. Chloe and Zoey had to leave not long afterwards and then Sarah and Alma left. The new kids gave their horses hugs and kisses and walked into the big house. They settled in their rooms and fell asleep, as did the horses.


	5. It's just the beginning

The first to awake was Bridget. She sat up in her bed, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. She entered the bathroom, washing her face and brushing her teeth and hair. She tossed her hair into a pony tail after she put on some clean riding clothes. She then checked her watch which said 6:30 am and exit the house. Walked towards the barn, she opened the big doors and approached Crystal's stall. Saddling up Crystal quietly, they walked out the barn together. Having been to Horseland in the past she knew all the trail paths and fields. She mounted Crystal and commanded her to a canter then a gallop. Finally feeling the wind in her hair and face felt breathtaking. She hadn't ridden for two days which didn't sound like that big of a deal, except if that is the one thing you enjoy in the most. She rode through the wet, but grassy meadow and through creaks and streams. She led Crystal into the woods down a trail, where most of the jumps were. She jumped over a few logs and rocks and then exit the woods. After about an hour of running she slowed Crystal down to a canter and stopped her at a creek. She dismounted Crystal, letting her drink, and she looked around the meadow. Her stomach growled reminding her she forgot to eat before she left.

"Lets go find something to eat, Crystal," Bridget told her as she backed her up and jumped the creek.

They rode on until Bridget noticed some slanted rocks that she remembered in the past. She walked over to them and noticed an engraving she put in the rocks when she was young. She led Crystal on farther and noticed more engravings in trees and rocks. She hopped off her saddle and grabbed the reins, walking the rest of the way. The sun beat down on them as it dried the dew off the grass and trees. Bridget led her into some bushes and they walked on, until they came into a clearing. There were apple trees, blue berries, raspberries, pears, and many other fruits with a wide creek nearby. She let go of the reins and reached for a few apples and pears. She gave a few to Crystal and she ate a few ripe pears and apples herself. They continued to eat, not realizing what time it was.

* * *

At Horseland Sarah walked into the barn with Alma, Molly, Noni, and Bailey. Chloe and Zoey entered afterward and started to pet down their horses. Brandon entered with Nathan as they continued to talk about what sounded like riding. Chloe looked at Brandon and smile.

She kicked over her bucket of brushes and said, "Oops, my bad."

"Hey need help?" Brandon asked, walking over towards Chloe.

"Yeah sure," Chloe said blushing.

Brandon picked up the brushes as Chloe just stared at him. It wasn't until she snapping back to reality that he was holding the bucket right in front of her with a confused look. Sarah brushed down Scarlet and noticed the stall next to hers was empty.

"Hey where's Crystal?" Sarah questioned.

"What do you mean?" Molly asked.

"Well she isn't here," Sarah pointed to the empty stall beside Scarlet's.

"Where would she have gone?" Noni asked.

"Yeah she doesn't know those trails like we do," Alma pointed out.

Nathan chuckled as he saddled Phoenix.

"And what are you laughing at?" Molly questioned.

"Wow you guys don't know?" Nathan asked, "Brandon and Bridget started riding here at Horseland when they were really young. They know every inch of this place. They practically grew up her."

"Wait really?" Zoey asked Brandon.

"Yeah it's true," Brandon said, "Don't worry about Bridget. She has always been an early riser and taken her horse out for a run."

Everyone saddled their horses and entered the arena. The other new kids joined them not long afterwards. Danielle and Blossom were the first to jump the fences. Blossom seemed to jump with grace and elegance which didn't give them amazing times. Phoenix however jumped with such speed that it gave her an amazing time, but she would knock over a few fences. Sahara and Butterscotch, on the other hand, were getting ready to go running through the woods.

"Hey what are they doing?" Alma asked.

"Oh them?" Chris pointed, "Sahara and Butterscotch were bred to run cross country so Sam and Michelle taught them cross country."

"Really?...her...cross country?" Molly asked, pointing at Michelle.

"Yeah I know what you mean," Chris said, "I was just as surprised about Michelle running cross country instead of being a jumper. Turns out Sam and Michelle love open fields and paths to run through. They both hate being stuck fenced in and running."

"Wow I would never have known that if you hadn't told me," Alma said.

"Who would have thought," Calypso said to Button.

" _Ci,_ Michelle doesn't catch you as a country rider," Button answered Calypso.

"You are going down," Butterscotch said to his sister.

"in your dreams brother. Everyone knows I'm the smart twin and that is why I have won more than you."

"Hmph, we will see about that."

"Ok Michelle and Sam," Aiden spoke, "So Bridget just text me that she finished. She put up flags around the woods that will take you down the path to follow. Follow all the flags and you will finish here. Remember you are trying to beat your times and win at the same time. Are you ready?"

"Yes," Michelle and Sam said in unison.

"Riders at your mark, get set, GO!"

Aiden waved the flag and Michelle and Sam were off with Sahara at Butterscotch's tail.

"Eat my dust," Butterscotch yelled at his sister.

Crystal ran right past Butterscotch and Sahara and jumped the arena fence, stopping next to Blossom, creating dust.

"Ok gang lets get practicing," Bridget called out.

"Hey Molly, Alma, Noni, Chloe, Zoey, and Bailey, want to go for a trail ride while they practice?" Sarah asked.

They all agreed and walked out of the arena.

"Oh wait, I left my phone in the stable, I'll be right back," Molly said.

"Hurry back Molly," Sarah said.

They waited there for five minutes and Molly didn't come out of the barn. They sent Alma inside to see what was taking so long. Alma peeked her head into the stall, only to see Molly searching through the hay.

"What's taking so long?" Alma asked.

"My phone," Molly said in disbelief, "It's gone."


	6. Heading towards war

Michelle and Sam raced through the trail and into an open meadow. They were neck to neck and approaching the dirt road. They ran up the path with Sahara a nose in front of Butterscotch. They passed Aiden who hit the timer.

He looked at it and spoke, "You guys got the exact same time as the last time you ran."

They both groaned and dismounted their horses. They led Butterscotch and Sahara into the barn where Sarah, Alma, Molly, and Noni were looking for something.

"Hey have you tried to call it?" Sarah asked.

"Oh yeah I never thought of that," Molly said, "Could I borrow your phone, Sarah?"

Sarah handed Molly her phone as Molly typed in her number. A loud ring came from Michelle's pocket and Molly looked at her in disbelief. Michelle took out a pink phone that was ringing in her hand.

"That's my phone," Molly said, grabbing it out of Michelle's hand, "Why was it in your pocket?"

Michelle looked stunned and finally spoke, "I don't even know. I never picked up a pink phone, even if I did I would have asked everyone before I went for a ride."

"Uh huh likely story," Molly said with her hands on her hips.

"I'm telling the truth. I've never stolen anything in my entire life," Michelle tried to defend herself.

"But you just don't know why Molly's phone was in your pocket?" Alma asked using her fingers as quotations around the words "don't know why."

"Hey if my sister said she didn't take her phone then she didn't," Sam spat at Alma.

"Look maybe this is just a big misunderstanding," Sarah said, "Maybe she forgot she picked up your phone Molly, or someone else planted it there. Still we can't go around accusing each other."

"I agree with Sarah," Noni said, "Let's just settle down and talk about it."

"There is nothing to talk about," Molly said and stormed off with Alma close by her heals, "We going for that trail ride. You can all join us when you want."

Alma and Molly rode off together leaving Michelle, Sam, Sarah, and Alma alone.

"But I didn't steal anything," Michelle said.

* * *

Bridget heard the sound of hoof beats as she looked to see Molly and Alma ride off, followed by Sarah and Noni. She dismounted Crystal and walked her to the water trough to rest. She noticed something shiny under the trough and knelt down to pick it up. Bridget lift up what looked to be a pearl necklace. It was quite expensive from the looks of it and Bridget tried to think who's it belonged to.

 _It's not Michelle's, she doesn't wear pearls_ Bridget thought _It's obviously not Danielle's and most definitely does not belong to Sam, Trudy, or Olivia's. So who's?_

She decided to worry about it later and stuck it in her front pocket. She mounted Crystal again and repeated the routine. Most of the kids went in to eat, so Bridget had the entire arena to herself.

* * *

The sun started to set, forcing Bridget to lead Crystal into the barn. Everyone was gone except for Chloe and Zoey who were standing outside of Sahara's stall talking to, who she believed was, Michelle.

"For the last time I didn't take it," Michelle said, by the sound of her voice Bridget believed she was getting quite irritated.

"Yeah like you didn't take Molly's phone," Zoey snapped, putting up quotation marks around "didn't."

Bridget's phone let out a loud ring after she led Crystal into her stall. She pulled out her phone, accidentally dropping the pearls she found.

"Hello?...hello?" Bridget asked then hung up her phone, "Huh...that was weird."

She bent down and picked up the pearls off the ground as Chloe and Zoey walked towards her.

"Hey those are mine," Chloe said, pointing at the pearls, "Why was it in YOUR pocket?"

"I put them in my pocket after I found them..." Bridget said, but was interrupted.

"So you admit that you stole them," Zoey said with her arms crossed over her chest.

"Hang on I never said..." Bridget tried to defend herself.

"I can't believe you tried to steal my necklace," Chloe said angrily.

"But I didn't steal..."

"Come on sis our ride is here," Zoey said as her and Chloe walked towards a white limo.

"It wasn't your fault," Michelle said, putting a hand on Bridget's shoulder.

"I know," Bridget said calmly, "Though I wish they wouldn't interrupt me when I speak."

Bridget turned towards Crystal and took off her reins and saddle. She brushed her down, feed her, and kissed her good night before leaving.

* * *

"I can't believe Bridget would do something like that," Chili said after a couple of minutes.

"Hey Bridget didn't do anything," Crystal yelled at Chili, "She found those pearls next to the water trough."

"Yeah but what about the phone?" Calypso asked calmly, "How did that end up in Michelle's pocket?"

"Well she didn't take it that's for sure," Sahara said, "She didn't even go near Calypso's stall."

A dog soon walked into the barn with a pig and a cat behind.

" _Who are you?"_ Paris questioned.

"Beg your pardon?" The dog said, not understanding a word Paris spoke.

"Hey Shep," Scarlet said, "How was the vet."

"Not fun I can tell you that much," Shep answered.

"Not fun?" The cat asked, "It was dreadful. I had to get like fifty shots."

"Oh Angora it wasn't that bad," The pig told the cat.

"Any way," Angora said, "I heard we have some new celebrities here at Horseland."

"Yes," Scarlet said, "Shep, Teeny, Angora, meet the professional jumpers."

They distributed all their names and went back to talking about the real problem.

"I should look into this," Shep said seriously.

"Please do," Button said relieved, "If our owners get in a pickle with each other, who knows what would happen."

"It can also be bad for Horseland if they drive away the biggest horse celebrities of all time," Aztec reminded them.

"Yeah we need to make a plan and fast," Jimena said for the first time which startled everyone.

"Maybe we should start by getting some rest," Phoenix mentioned.

Everyone just realized how tired they were and fell asleep as soon as they hit their stall floor. Tomorrow was going to be an interesting day.


	7. A spreading illness

Sarah was the first to arrive in the stables that morning. There was a cool breeze in the air that sent as new fresh smell over Horseland. When Sarah walked towards Scarlet's stall she didn't get up like she usually did. Instead, Scarlet lay on the floor with her eyes shut. Sarah opened the stall door and put her hand on Scarlet's muzzle. The horse awoke abruptly, but lay back down.

"What's wrong girl?" Sarah questioned.

Her horse let out a weak neigh and fell back to sleep. She raced towards the house and started banging on Will's door. He opened it quickly and looked at Sarah confused.

"Sarah, don't you know what time it is?"

"Will, there is something wrong with Scarlet."

Will's eyes went wide and he grabbed his coat and shoes. They both raced towards the barn where Scarlet was in the same state as before.

"Sarah call the vet," Will commanded.

He knelt down and stroked Scarlet's neck. Her breathe was ragged and her body was growing hot. Sarah came back shortly afterwards, only to be sent away to get some cold water and towels. They soaked the towels and placed them on top of Scarlet. Sarah placed Scarlet's head on her lap as she held back her tears. Footsteps were heard entering the barn and the vet came into view. He dismissed Sarah and told her to wait outside the barn. When she exit the barn she bumped into someone and almost fell when a pair of hands caught her.

"Wow there, careful Sarah," Brandon said with a smile.

He noticed a few tears fall down her cheeks and his face became serious.

"Hey, what's wrong?" He asked, wiping a tear off her cheek.

Sarah could hardly explain before bursting into tears. Brandon pulled her into a hug and rubbed her back.

"S-Scarlet has fallen with some t-type of illness and I-I don't know what it is. I-I mean I may never ride her again...o-or...worse, sh-she may..." Sarah started to cry again.

"Shh it's ok you don't have to say it."

They stayed in that position for awhile, before the vet exit the barn.

"Good news," He said, "Scarlet only has Influenza."

Sarah looked at him confused before Brandon spoke up, "Oh that's just a fancy word for the flu."

Sarah sighed with relief and gave the vet a hug.

"She may have gotten the illness from one of the horses here, but it isn't rare. It should disappear in a few days. Just make sure to keep Scarlet cool, but not too cool, and you are going to need to hand feed her. Also use a syringe to give her water, until she is able to lift her head," The vet spoke.

Sarah nodded and he drove off. Sarah was jumping with excitement and relief, giving Brandon a huge hug. She connected her lips with his making his eyes wide. She released and threw her hands over he mouth. They just stared at each other for a little bit before Sarah ran back into the barn, her face red. Brandon finally got over his shock and followed Sarah into the barn.

* * *

Bridget sat on her bed with her laptop on her lap. She was re-watching the last competition she attended, trying to find any mistakes. She reached into her bag to grab her notebook, only to discover it was gone. Then she remembered she left it in her saddle bag, because she was taking notes on all her jumps. She sighed and closed her laptop. She exit her bedroom and walked towards the barn. Everyone was saddling their horses, except for Sarah, who was stroking Scarlet on the ground.

"Hey, what happened?" Bridget whispered to her brother.

He explained about Scarlet getting the flu and the vet having to come and check up on her. Bridget made an "O" shape with her mouth and opened Crystal's stall. She approached her saddle bag, but her notebook was gone. She was shocked for a moment, but that shock was soon replaced with rage. She stormed over to Chloe and Zoey, who gave her innocent faces.

"Ok, which one of you two took my notebook?!" Bridget yelled.

"What notebook?" Zoey asked.

"We don't even know what your are talking about," Chloe talked back.

"Look, this isn't funny that notebook is important."

"Why in the world are you blaming us for your lost notebook?" Chloe asked.

"Yeah, you should take better care of your things," Zoey butt in.

"Well you both did accuse me for taking your pearls," Bridget reminded them.

A high pitched scream was heard from the tack room and Michelle stormed out, approaching Molly.

"Ok so first you accuse me for stealing your cell phone and then you go and steal all my things."

"I don't know what you are talking about," Molly defended herself.

"Wait, what exactly did she steal?" Sam asked.

"All the things in my locker are gone: My books, my notes, even my albums."

"What would I even do with your things, certainly not take them," Molly said.

Trudy came out of the tack room with a stack of books and papers in her arms.

"Trudy what were our things doing in your locker?" Michelle asked.

"Oh they weren't in mine, they were in Alma's" Trudy explained.

All eyes focused on Alma, before Sarah stepped out and yelled, "Stop!"

"Look ok, my horse is sick at the moment and she needs to rest. Although she can't rest with all of this commotion. So, I suggest you apologize now or take the arguments outside, because I am in no mood to have to deal with this," Sarah screamed.

The barn was silent and everyone put their heads down. They apologized to Sarah, but not to one another. After saddling the horses everyone went their separate ways.

 _Ok we need to fix this and fast_ Crystal thought.


End file.
